The Thamud

[Danny Jarman]

The Thamūd (Arabic: ثمود) were a people of ancient Arabia who were known from the 1st millennium BC to near the time of Muhammad. Although they are thought to have originated in southern Arabia, Arabic tradition has them moving north to settle on the slopes of Mount Athlab near Mada'in Saleh. According to the Qur'an, the Thamud were punished and destroyed by a soundwave (rajfa).


Numerous Thamudic rock writings and pictures have been found on Mount Athlab and throughout central Arabia.

The oldest known reference to Thamud is a 715 BC inscription of the Assyrian king Sargon II which mentions them as being among the people of eastern and central Arabia subjugated by the Assyrians.[SUP][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thamud#cite_note-EI36-1"]
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They are referred to as "Tamudaei" in the writings of Aristo of Chios, Ptolemy, and Pliny.

In The Qur'an -

The Qur'an mentions Thamud in Sura Al-A'raf in the context of several prophets who warned their people of coming judgement. Verse 74 says of Thamud -

"Ye build for yourselves palaces and castles in (open) plains, and carve out homes in the mountains".

This could refer to the rock-cut tombs of Mada'in Saleh (the Cities of Saleh)


In the Qur'an, Ê¿Ä€d and Thamud are generally mentioned together as a matter of context.The verses advise Thamud to take warning from the destruction of Ê¿Ä€d.

To the Thamud people (We sent) Salih, one of their own brethren: He said: "O my people! worship Allah: ye have no other god but Him. Now hath come unto you a clear (Sign) from your Lord! This she-camel of Allah is a Sign unto you: So leave her to graze in Allah's earth, and let her come to no harm, or ye shall be seized with a grievous punishment.
"And remember how He made you inheritors after the 'Ad people and gave you habitations in the land: ye build for yourselves palaces and castles in (open) plains, and carve out homes in the mountains; so bring to remembrance the benefits (ye have received) from Allah, and refrain from evil and mischief on the earth."

Qur'an, Sura 7 (Al-A'raf), ayat 73-74

This verse suggests some kind of relationship between Ê¿Ä€d and Thamud, and Ê¿Ä€d may even have been a part of Thamud's history and culture. Just as Nuh's (Noah) people were seen as the ancestors of Ê¿Ä€d, it seems Ê¿Ä€d were seen in a similar relation to Thamud.


The Ê¿Ä€d were a people living in southern Arabia. Some remains of Thamud were found in the region where Ê¿Ä€d had lived, especially around the region where capital city of the Hadramites, the descendants of Ê¿Ä€d, stood.

A bit further on from the passage quoted above, the Qur'an says,

Then they ham-strung the she-camel, and insolently defied the order of their Lord, saying: "O Salih! bring about thy threats, if thou art a messenger (of Allah)!"
So the earthquake took them unawares, and they lay prostrate in their homes in the morning!

Qur'an, Sura 7 (Al-A'raf), ayat 77-78

In Sura Al-Qamar it says

" For We sent against them a single Mighty Blast, and they became like the dry stubble used by one who pens cattle."

Will you be left secure, in (the enjoyment of) all that you have here? Gardens and springs, and cornfields and date-palms with spathes near breaking (with the weight of fruit)? And you carve houses out of (rocky) mountains with great skill.

(Surat ash-Shu'ara: 146-149)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thamud





Say what you like about religion etc - but The rock buildings seemingly left behind by this ancient civilisation are fascinating. They look very similar to the building in Petra.